10 days (not including air travel)
Discover Kenya’s less crowded tourist havens. Get off the beaten path and hike through pure wilderness; climb hills and mountains and walk amongst herds of wildlife. Visit local homes and see Africa through the eyes of the local people. This is your chance to see not only the famous Big 5 but the small 500 as well!
Day 1: Aberdare/Mount Kenya
From Nairobi, drive to Aberdare National Park for game drives. Late afternoon transfer to Naromoru on the western slopes of Mt Kenya for overnight.
Day 2: Mount Kenya
Day hike on Mount Kenya starting from the Sirimon Park Gate. Hike through montane forest, bamboo, rosewood, and heather zones to reach the high altitude moorland at 3,300m above sea level. We trek further to Likii viewpoint for a panoramic view of the majestic high peaks. After having a picnic lunch we descend back to the Sirimon Park gate to board waiting vehicle for transfer back to Naromoru. This is a whole day’s trek. Overnight at the camp again.
Day 3: Namunyak
Transfer to Kirish Camp which is at the base of the Ololokwe Mountain. This mountain is sacred to the local Samburu sub-tribe of northern Kenya who are closely related to the southern Maasai. We shall meet our hosts and guides in the evening as we prepare to depart the following morning. Dinner and overnight at Kirish Camp.
Day 4: Namunyak
We start our two day hike up the Ololokwe with our local Samburu guides and donkeys carrying provisions. Today’s 5-6 hour trek takes us through the acacia thickets and Comiphora trees on the steep slopes of the mountain. As we climb higher the vegetation changes to palm cicads and gigantic podocarpus and pencil cedar trees. Along the way you are treated to magnificent views of the surrounding lands. We arrive at the base camp for lunch. Later in the afternoon we climb to the Ololokwe summit (2000m) and explore the nearby viewpoints. Dinner and overnight at our bush camp.
Day 5: Namunyak
Hike down via Saddle with stunning views of Namunyak Conservation area and the magnificent Mathew Ranges with its Warges peak (2600m) standing out in defiance. We proceed to the Dam where you will have picnic lunch and say goodbye to our Samburu guides and their donkeys. Today’s trek is approximately 6 hours. After lunch we board our waiting vehicles and drive to the Rhino Boma Camp for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Mathews Ranges
Early start for the steep hike to Warges Summit (2,600m), the highest point of the Mathew Ranges. The 5-6 hour hike takes us through the thick altitude forest with chances of spotting wildlife such as buffalo and elephant and several birds. After a 5 hour hike we arrive at the base camp where we set camp and have picnic lunch. After lunch we set off for the Warges Summit (2600m). From the summit we enjoy stunning views of the Namunyak conservation area. Descend to our bush camp for overnight.
Day 7: Mathews Ranges
Depart after breakfast and hike across the Mathew Ranges then descend to Wamba. We arrive at Wamba in the late afternoon for a much-needed shower at the Wamba Guest House and spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight at Wamba Guest House or Camp
Day 8: Samburu
Transfer to Samburu for game drives. Camp overnight.
Day 9: Samburu
Whole day of game drives in Samburu. Samburu Park lies in the semi-arid north and is the home of the Samburu Special Five – Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and the beisa oryx, the five rare and endemic northern animal species. It’s also the home of “Kamuniak”, the famous lioness who adopted a baby Oryx. Overnight at the camp again.
Day 10: Nairobi
Morning game drive and departure for the return journey to Nairobi.